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A white deep plate with tomato, cheese ziti and a sausage - square
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Easy Baked Ziti

Craving some delicious Italian food? Try making this easy baked ziti recipe. With easy steps and mouth-watering ingredients, your family will love it!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Keyword baked ziti, easy baked ziti
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 6 cups
Calories 441kcal

Ingredients

  • 2/3 pound ziti (If you use a pound, you will have some leftover)
  • 2 cups tomato sauce (or more - divided for the layers)
  • 6 slices provolone (some you will tear in half to fit in the casserole dish - divided)
  • 1 cup sour cream (more or less - divided)

Instructions

  • Fill a medium/large stockpot 1/2 full with water and add salt. Set the heat to high and bring to a boil.
  • Add pasta once boiled and set the timer to 10 minutes. The pasta will be al dente. Once the timer dings, drain the pasta in a colander.
    2/3 pound ziti
  • Preheat oven to 350 F.

The Layering

  • Ladle some tomato sauce in the bottom of a 3 quart casserole dish.
    2 cups tomato sauce
  • Spoon in a layer of pasta.
  • Dollop sour cream on the pasta. I put between 5 - 6 tablespoons.
    1 cup sour cream
  • Liberally ladle gravy on top of sour cream.
  • Add provolone on gravy. I put between 2 - 3 pieces in each layer.
    6 slices provolone
  • Keep layering pasta, sour cream, gravy and provolone cheese until casserole dish is filled.
  • Place the covered casserole dish in the oven for 30 minutes. If your dish doesn't have a cover, use aluminum foil.
  • Uncover the casserole dish and bake for and additional 20 minutes.
  • Eat
  • Smile
  • Enjoy

Notes

Helpful tips
      • When you boil the ziti, make sure to cook it al dente (still firm) since you are going to bake it and that will soften it more. So, boil it for 10 minutes, tops.
      • I use homemade spaghetti sauce (which I call gravy) but you can use jarred, store bought tomato sauce like marinara sauce if you prefer. The beauty of my homemade sauce is, I make it with Italian sausage.
      • I've also used this sauce in this dish because I use chunky vegetables, like bell peppers, and onions.
      • In my homemade sauce, I sometimes add sautéed ground beef to add additional flavor.
      • Don't like ziti? You can use another pasta like penne, mostaccioli, or rigatoni. I just wouldn't use noodles like spaghetti or fettuccini.
      • Even though I use provolone in this recipe, you can use sliced mozzarella cheese or any light-tasting cheese. For example, I wouldn't recommend sliced cheddar.
      • Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese between the layers. I would have when I made this for the blog, but I didn't have any.
      • I use a medium baking dish, which holds three quarts or 12 cups.
      • Although I use herbs in my homemade sauce, you can add Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil.
      • This Italian casserole freezes well. Just place any leftover baked ziti in an airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 4 months.
      • You can reheat it without thawing the ziti. I usually spoon a little sauce over the leftovers and add a piece of cheese or two and bake on 350 for 10 - 15 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 630mg | Potassium: 519mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 760IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 212mg | Iron: 2mg